Carrying case



July 7, 1942'. s. MEYER ETAL CARRYING; CASE Filed Dec. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 7, 1942. s. MEYER ETAL.

CARRYING; CASE Filed Deb. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -EHuw mmmw wwwwn Patented July 7, 1942 UNITED CARRYING CASE Siegfried Meyer and Max Nachman, New York, N. Y.

Application December 26, 1940, Serial No. 371,640'

3 Claims.

It is an object of the present invention to pro-- vide a container or carrying bag at least part of which is flexible and capable of supporting garments, particularly dresses or suits in folded substantially uncreasable condition.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a carrying case of the above nature in which the hanger elements supporting the garments are arranged and disposed within said case in such manner that a substantially flat and thin carrying case will be presented at all times simulating a relatively large brief case.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a carrying case of the above nature having lateral flaps to conceal the ends of the hanger elements thereby preventing the same from injuring the garments and to facilitate the garments being held in their folded condition.

Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide a supporting rail for the garment hangers and which also acts as reinforcing or stiffening means for the case, particularly where the walls of the case are made flexible.

It is still another object of the invention to relatively arrange the aforesaid supporting rail and the lateral flaps so that rail and flaps will not interfere with one another.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in such carrying cases a combined unit serving as a hanger-supporting rail and a hand grip for carrying or holding the case.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a member about which a portion of a garment may be folded, said member being suspended from the case in such manner as to facilitate engagement of the garment therewith during the folding operation of the garment for its insertion and inclusion within the case.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a preferably flexible receptacle which is adapted to receive a garment in folded condition, means for folding said garment and to maintain the same in folded condition in said receptacle being disposed in the upper part thereof, said folding means forming simultaneously stiffening or reinforcing means for said receptacle.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle in brief-case shaped fashion, said receptacle having a front wall forming a movable cover section and a fixed flap section at either side of said cover section and engageable with the latter, the folded garment being suspended from the upper portion of said receptacle, said receptacle having further av closure flap for locking engagement with said cover section.

Yet, a further object of the present invention is to provide a substantially flat bar or rail fixed in position to the upper portion of the receptacle, holding means connected to said rail, and a folding member for the garment to be folded, said holding means and said folding member being in engagement with one another for maintaining the garment in its folded condition on said member.

Another object. of the invention is to provide means within the aforesaid case whereby the hooks of a plurality of garment hangers may'be disposed preferably in tandem relation so as to minimize bulginess of the case when carrying the garments supported by said hangers.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following disclosure thereof together with the attached drawings which illustrate a certain form of embodiment thereof. This form is shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized provided they come within the scope of the claims.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a carrying case made in accordance with the invention, the case being shown in open condition.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the said carrying case supporting garments, the latter being shown in the process of being folded.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the said carrying case with the said garments in completed folded condition and the member about which the garment is folded in a step of being placed in adjusted supporting position.

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view taken through line 55 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and '7 show the case in two different closed positions.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevational view of the case shown in Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a detail used in connection with the aforesaid case.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view (center being broken away) of the garment folding member.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line HIl of Fig. 10. 7

Referring now particularly to the drawings the 2 k carrying case is shown as comprising a nexible rear wall 29, a front wall 2i joined together by means of lateral gussets 22. Extending from by complementary fastening means 29'operab1e.

by slides 39. Sections 28 and 23 are much narr'ower than the center or intermediate section 21 and constitute lateral flaps for a purpose hereinafter described.

Flaps 26, 2B are laterally secured to respective gussets 22 as by means of stitching 3B. This intermediate section 21 joins said flaps 2t, 28 preferably adjacent the lower edge 32 of the case, so that section 21 may b folded downwardly as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4. As shown in Fig. 1 lateral flaps 26, 28 are provided with extensions 33, 34 against which section 21 rests when the latter is in upright and closed position (Fig. 6). Within the body of the case there are arranged pockets, such as for example those indicated by numerals 35, 36 for containing small articles, such as handkerchiefs 31 etc. A strip 38 of flexible material has one of its ends secured to the rear wall 29 of the case, its other end supporting a garment folding member 39. Member 39 is preferably made of metal and bent to form substantially U-shaped ends 49. Also secured as by rivets 4| to rear wall 29 at or near its top is a rail 42 preferably made of metal. This rail 42 extends substantially to the extensions 33, 34 of flaps 26, 28, respectively, so that the flexible character of the lateral flaps 29, 28 and its respective extensions is preserved (Fig. 4). Secured to rail 42 or forming part thereof (Fig. 9) are loops 43 adapted to supportingly engage the U-shaped ends 49 of member 39 (as illustrated at the left hand side of Fig. 4). A center loop 44 is attached to rail 42 by rivet a, said loop 44 being adapted to receive the hook 45 of garment hanger 46 carrying, for example, dress or garment 41. From loop 44 depends a ring 44a, the latter being linked to the former preferably by flexible strip 48. Ring 44a is adapted to support the hook 45a of garment hanger 49, the latter supporting the garment 59. It can readily be seen from the just described arrangement that the hanger 49 is supported below hanger 49 thereby presenting a substantially flat assembly with the hangers 46, 49 in tandem relation.

Stitched to the rear wall 29 at is a slotted flap 52, its slot 53 allowing space for loop 44 and permitting flap 52 to be swung downwardly to a folded position indicated in Fig. 4, the fold line being designated by numeral 54.

As it will be readily understood from the drawings, the bottom portions of both garments 41, 59 are threaded or passed through the U-shaped ends 49 of member 39, as shown in Fig. 2. Member 39 is then raised as seen in Figs. 3 and 4 into engagement with the loops 43, by which it is supported. l

The shoulder parts 41a and 59a are folded and tucked under the flaps 26, 28 and their extensions 33, 34. Of course, the extremities of U-shaped ends 49 of member 39 are also disposed between the said flaps and rear wall 29 of the case. The U-shaped ends 49 of member 39 form also reinforcing means for the upper part of the case and a top of rear wall 29 is a closure flap 23 provided assess? 42 when they are loops 43.

From the aforesaid it can be realized that the member 39 and rail 42 stiflens the upper portion of the case 89, when in closed position while slight swinging movement of the hangers 46 and 49 is permitted so thatthe garments 41, 59 will not be crushed against each other when the case it is closed. After the member 39, hangers 46, 49 and garments 41, 59 are adjusted within the case I9 as aforesaid, section 21 is then moved into closed position and secured to flaps 26, 28 by slide fasteners 29, 39. Closure flap 23 is then folded down and locked against flap section 21 by the locking members 26, 25. In removing the garmenm from case iii th reverse operation as above explained is to be performed.

From Fig. '1 can be seen that the carrying case 39 when in entirely closed position resembles in appearance to a large brief case. v

Before closing the case it flap 52 within said case is folded down over the hanger hooks of hangers 46, 69 thereby acting as a shield (Fig. 4)

Fig. 8 shows a rear view of case l9 having the handle grip 69 attached to bar 95 coextensive with and secured to rail 42 as by the rivets 4|. Further secured to bar Si i a wrist loop 621:0 facilitate carrying of the case. There also may be provided a ring 63 by which said case i9 may be suspended from a. suitable support (not shown). Slide fasteners 63, 94 form closure means for outside pockets (not shown) provided in the rear wall 29 of the case.

Fig. 9 shows a unitary or combined structure of a carrying handle 66 and rail 66 having center loop 61 and lateral loops 68. Loop 61 corresponds to center loop 44 and loops 68 correspond to loop 43, heretofore described.

Fig. 10 discloses an expansible garment folding member or hanger member 19 for use similar to' that previously described 'withrespect to member 39. This member 19 comprises a sleeve 1i which slidably receives the ends 12 of the U-shaped elements 13 of the folding member 19. Ends 12 of these elements are connected together within sleeve 1| by a helical spring 14 which tends to urge the ends 12 toward each other. In order to prevent the elements 13 from turning, guide slots with pin 15, 16 are provided on ends 12 and 1|, respectively.

The advantage of this construction of folding member 19 is that the elements 13may readily engage the garment in a position shown in Fig. 2 by first expanding said elements 13 (with the sleeve portion 1| in the rear of the garments 41,

59) and then releasing the said elements whereby constitute substantially lateral extensions of rail 76 edge portions 18 of the garments 41, 59 are positioned between the U-shaped ends of the folding member; a further advantage of said construction being that the said garment folding member 19 may be readily brought into engagement with the lateral loops 43 or 89 as the ends 13 of garment folding member 19 may be expanded to laterally insert the ends 13 when released.

In order to prevent manipulation of the fastening means or slide fasteners. 29, 39 when the case I9 is in its closed position (as illustrated in Fig. 7), the slide member 39 may be inserted into guideway 16 of holder 15 so that when flap 23 is moved downwardly toward front wall 2| said member 39' may be brought into engagement with said guideway 16 and cannot be operated until flap 23 is again moved into its extended position in their engaged position in I that there is thus provided a carrying case of the character described possessing the particular features of advantages before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any 0 its advantages.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various emissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and its operation may be made provided they do not depart from the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A case of the character described comprising a rear wall, a flap upwardly extending from said rear wall, a front wall, and end walls, said front wall being provided with a central section swingable about a substantially horizontal axis and a flap section at either side of said central section fixed to the end walls respectively, said central section and said flap sections having complementary fastening means respectively for engagement with one another in closed position of said case, said flap being provided with a locking element, said central section carrying a locking element complementary to said flap locking element, a portion of said fastening means at either side of said central section being engageable with a portion of said flap when the latter is moved into the locking position in which the locking element of said flap engages the locking element of said central section.

2. A carrying case for garments and the like,

comprising a rear wall, a front wall, and enclosing end walls connecting said rear wall and said front wall, a flap extending from the upper edge of said rear wall, said front wall being provided with fixed lateral sections each having a free lateral edge, and with a removable intermediate section, a lateral extension adjacent to and connected with each lateral section, said lateral sections and their connected extensions together with said end walls and rear wall forming respective pockets, means for removably connecting said intermediate section to said lateral sections, respectively, said intermediate section when connected to said lateral sections overlying said lateral extensions, means to lock said flap to said front wall, and a garment hanger supporting bar extending across and fixed to the inner face of said rear wall, said bar having its ends positioned behind the upper ends of said lateral extensions, said flap overlying said bar when in locking engagement withsaid front wall.

3. A carrying case comprising a rear wall, a front wall, gussets connecting said walls together and forming the side walls and bottom wall; a central section forming the major part of said front wall and being hinged adjacent the lower end thereof, the lateral edges of said central section being engageable with the remainin p rts of said front wall, said remaining parts constituting side flaps, a reinforcing bar extending across and secured to the inner face of said rear wall adjacent the upper end thereof, and means arranged in spaced relation on said bar for holding garment hangers thereon, said central section covering said hangers and said bar upon engagement with said remaining parts of said front wall in closed condition of said case. f

SIEGFRIED MEYER. MAX NACHMAN. 

